New
New
Year 4
Guru Nanak
I can explain who Guru Nanak was and describe his journeys as a guru.
New
New
Year 4
Guru Nanak
I can explain who Guru Nanak was and describe his journeys as a guru.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Nanak was born in Punjab in 1469 CE. There are many stories about his childhood.
- When he was about 30, he disappeared for three days, returning with a mission to teach people about God.
- His teachings changed the lives of many people, and Sikhs still follow his wisdom today.
- He made four journeys teaching about kindness and equality.
Keywords
Guru - a spiritual teacher
Sikh - a learner and follower of the Sikhi religion
Guru Nanak - is considered the first Sikh guru
Common misconception
Guru Nanak is considered a god by Sikhs.
Guru Nanak is not worshipped as a god but is respected as a spiritual guide and a guru.
Create a floor timeline and let pupils walk along as you explain each event to understand what was happening around the world when Guru Nanak was alive and spreading his teachings. Pupils could also role play to act out important events from Guru Nanak's life.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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5 Questions
Q1.
What is the name of this type of place of worship?
a church
a synagogue
a mandir
Q2.
Many Christians believe that Jesus died on ...
Maundy Thursday.
Easter Saturday.
Easter Sunday.
Q3.
Who led the Hebrew or Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt?
Q4.
Fill in the gap in the following sentence. Performing prayer can give Muslims a sense of __________ with Allah.
balance
resilience
Q5.
Ceremonies that mark a move from childhood to adulthood are known as ...
rites of change.
rites of journey.
rites of spring.
Q1 Faizan-e-Madina Mosque, Peterborough, Dylan Moore, 2016, licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0
Exit quiz
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5 Questions
Q1.
Match the keywords to the correct definitions.
a spiritual teacher
is considered the first Sikh guru
a learner and follower of the Sikhi religion
Q2.
What does the word 'guru' mean in Sanskrit?
‘One who teaches in a classroom’
‘One who knows all the answers’
Q3.
How did Guru Nanak want everyone to be treated?
unequally
strictly
Q4.
Which sentence best describes how most Sikhs view Guru Nanak's authority?
as a guru, he was a form of God on earth
as a guru, he was someone who travelled a lot
Q5.
Which word is missing from the following quote by Guru Nanak? “There is neither Hindu nor Muslim, only __________ path.”
the guru’s
the Sikhi